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8.26.2010

remember the hoodie i made judah from the thrift store sweatshirt and the sewing pattern from heidi and finn? well, i bought that pattern in a B2G1 free deal through a favorite blogger (and new buddy). so there were 2 more patterns that i was excited to tackle and they were both for miss layla-boo.

the girly cardigan and cocktail swing coat

first up: the cardigan. the example the pattern showed was made of white fleece and i thought it looked so snuggly even though a plain solid isn't the most expressive. i had a bunch of gray fleece that i bought way back when i thought i would become the exclusive clothier of baby judah in my early sewing days. i made a hat and a bad pair of fleece pants and gave up, leaving yards of fleece untouched for months. lucky for me, that meant it was "free" by the time i got around to making layla a little ruffle-y cardigan.

photographing these was one of our first go's with the new SLR camera, so things are a little funky. bear with us.

making about 100 inches of the ruffle to go all the way around the coat was the toughest part. i was supposed to pin each inch to create the gathers, but i couldn't make it work with the thick fleece and just made the ruffles by shoving smooshed up sections of fabric under the presser foot as it sewed. as a result, my ruffle isn't the ruffliest.

the size i made was 12 mo's-2T. of course there's only one person who fits into that size in our house. i think this little cardigan will be a definite 2 year old item though since judah wears it here at 15 months and we had to roll up the sleeves.

modelling right after bathtime. this was a bad idea since judah always goes straight to bed after his bath so he was elated to be up but exhausted at the same time. not the best move forcing him into girls' outerwear and trying to get him to be still after bedtime. we are rookies

and the last of my heidi and finn patterns (for now): the cocktail swing jacket. this thing looked so fancy and intimidating that i almost didn't try it, but i am so glad i did because it turned out to be the best looking and easiest of all 3 of these patterns.

i promise the lining is a very pretty lavender. again, we are new at the camera and it's affecting our colors. the sleeves are fold up here to show off the pretty lining, but they definitely can go either way for a more neutral all-black look.

i found the black twill material in the 50% off remnant bin at joann and realized it would be perfect. but i needed about a yard more. so i then went and found it on the bolt in the regular section and got the extra yardage i needed. total cost: $6.86. and then i had planned to use a fabric i already had for the lining, but i didn't have enough so i went and bought this light lavender leaf fabric with a 40% off coupon for $2.92.

my favorite detail is the closure. the bow ties are actually sewed onto "her" left side panel and they just hang there when the coat is open, but then they pull through a large buttonhole on the front panel and get tied in a big bow to keep it closed and make her fancy.

once again, our reluctant model. now this is also a 12m/2T pattern, but it was simply HUGE on judah, so i am thinking 2T/3T instead. also, with the bowtie closure, it's not the easiest on/off everyday coat for a toddler. but for fancy special occasions, it's just the right balance of sweet and chic.

looking like a cross-dressing streaker, who needs a nap.

that's more like it.

these were all-evening projects that took 2 or 3 hours apiece after i had my pattern pieces cut. i am so happy with how these patterns have turned out and how my nights are now filled with industrious and useful creativity instead of just mind-numbing episodes of "wipeout" (i am SO ready for summer TV to be over...even though its just background noise to my sewing these days, it is seriously depressing).

8 comments:

I love the fabrics you used for the swing coat - the purple lining is just right!

I just made a second swing coat for my niece with blue plaid wool. Knowing she'd be reluctant to wear a blue coat (as darling as the fabric is), I lined it with pink satin to sweeten the pot. She liked it! (though I will say, working with a wool and a satin together was just as tough as we'd guessed it would be).

no that does help, abby. i was wondering if that was it. but what do we do if it's inside and there's no good natural light? we are learning that natty lite (yes!) is the absolute best way to go with pictures and that flashes are stupid and evil, but i am a heliophobe and spend most of my time indoors.

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The swing jacket is to die for! I may be buying that pattern soon. I wanted you to know that I have been inspired and am getting my sewing machine back in a month. My mom has been borrowing it for the last 15 years or so and I am so excited. (Yes, I sewed in middle school and was super cool.)